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For all the pain and suffering over the iPhone 4's somewhat minor antenna issues, anguished users are finally getting their closure in the form of $15 settlement checks.

As 9to5Mac reports, those checks are just starting to roll in, with a deadline of July 16 to cash them.

The settlement brings to a close the iPhone 4 "antennagate" issue that created a frenzy in 2010. Due to the iPhone 4's antenna design, users were able to dampen the phone's signal strength by holding it in a certain way.

In most cases, the reduced signal didn't make much difference, but it could cause dropped calls in areas where signal strength was already low. Using a case for the phone eliminated the problem completely.

Although Apple tried to address the issue in 2010 by offering free bumper cases or full refunds, some purchasers filed a class-action lawsuit. Apple settled the case last year, offering every U.S. iPhone 4 purchaser a $15 check or a free case. As Engadget notes, users who took the original free bumper offer were still eligible for the settlement, as long as they said they weren't actually using their cases.

Don't spend it all in one place

Unfortunately, if you're just finding out about the settlement, it's too late to get on the money train. The deadline to file a claim was August 28, 2012, according to the settlement website.

But if you did manage to score a check, the possibilities are only limited by the paltry amount of money you're actually getting. You could, perhaps, buy an iTunes gift card, or bank the money in an interest-bearing account for the inevitable iPhone 5S. You and a friend could even put your checks together and splurge on a shared Lightning to 30-pin Adapter. Or maybe you could just buy a nice lunch.

Whatever you choose, just try not to think about how much lawyers are getting--up to $16 million of the $53 million settlement--by comparison.

This story, "Spend wisely: $15 checks for iPhone 4 'antennagate' settlement roll in" was originally published by
TechHive.